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After a devastating fire, Dale Lusk shows up at his sister’s door in nothing but his boxers and a raincoat, desperately needing her help. Losing both his restaurant and home has left Dale without direction or a place to live. While pushing her handsome brother into a new wardrobe to match his model looks, Chrissie introduces Dale to Al Borkowski. Al is in desperate need of a roommate before his grandmother takes more control of his life. Little did Chrissie know when she pushed the two men together the sparks that would fly and the changes that would happen in all of their lives.

“That’s ambitious. Diana Damrau still holds the title of reigning queen on that piece.” Al commented. He raised his glass to Chrissie. “I would be more than happy to help if I can.”

“Dale, how long before dinner?” Chrissie picked up the bottle of French white wine.

“I’d say about fifteen minutes,” Dale answered.

3.5 Stars

Dale Lusk isn’t having the best luck lately, he loses his restaurant, his apartment and everything that was inside to fire. His sister comes to his rescue and she’s happy that she’ll finally get the chance to get Dale to agree to a makeover that will match his model looks and she also finds him a place where to live with piano virtuoso Al Borkowski. As Dale tries to get his life back on track, he and Al get closer, but Al’s grandmother isn’t too happy when she learns of their relationship.

I really liked Dale and Chrissie, his sister, and their relationship. I enjoyed reading all about the makeover and meeting Erwan-David, the stylist, and Gina, the lawyer, who ended up being instrumental to the plot. I didn’t quite feel the chemistry between Dale and Al, but that might have been more because they didn’t really interact until the second half of the book and by then, there were so many other things happening, their relationship was like an afterthought. The sex scenes were hot, but there was something missing for me.

The whole deal with the grandmother was straight out of a fairytale and as a lawyer, I found too many inconsistencies to enjoy it fully. Yes, I’m aware this is fiction, but I prefer my fiction with a dose of realism, unless I’m reading something specifically labeled as fantasy or paranormal, so I know I have to suspend disbelief.

Anyway, I know my opinion will be in the minority, however, while the book is well-written, unfortunately, it was way over the top for me. The first half had a few moments in which everything was a little convenient but still realistic enough, but then we meet the evil witch, sorry, Al’s grandmother and it all went to hell in a handbasket. I think the author got lost in the secondary storyline and didn’t devote enough page-time into building Dale and Al’s relationship.

I think others might enjoy it, though, so take my review with a grain of salt.